No dedicated servers for PC versions of Modern Warfare 2

The PC version of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will not feature dedicated servers, according to statements made by developer Infinity Ward.

Instead the game will use a new proprietary matchmaking service called IWNet - a decision that has already caused outrage amongst fans. The announcement was made by Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling on the BASH podcast, as reported by GI.biz sister site Eurogamer.net.

"We've been building up this system on the backend called IWNet to allow matchmaking for our PC users as well, just like you have on the console that's built in on Xbox Live and PSN, but PC never had it, so we're building in our own, you know, matchmaking so you can get in there and play with players your same rank," said Bowling.

"You're completely reliant on IWNet, and there's no dedicated server or server list, so you rely on IWNet for your matchmaking on your games, but then you also have the private match, much like the other platforms, where you can go in and customise and, you know, turn off air support, turn off this, turn off that, customise the game rules all via private match, and invite people to the server that way," he added.

Even on the podcast the reaction to the news was negative, with Bowling remaining non-committal about support for custom content and fan-made modifications - while vaguely hinting at plans for patches to add additional features.

Although recent sales have been heavily skewed towards the Xbox 360 and PS3, the Call of Duty franchise began as a PC exclusive and still has a significant fanbase on the platform. Inevitably a petition with almost 50,000 signatures has already been established, to try and reverse the decision on dedicated servers.